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““During Karen Santos’ aria, “Porgi, amor”, the entire club was silent and fixated on her heartbreaking honesty. To hear this soprano’s rich, velvety voice was truly a highlight. Santos balanced the strength of the Countess with the vulnerability of a woman who was grieving the loss of love.””
Karen Santos is a versatile soprano and visual artist celebrated for her “rich, velvety voice” (Schmopera) and her passion for the stage. Born and raised in Mexico City, she is now based in Winnipeg, Canada.
A recent highlight of her work was performing Jake Heggie’s one-act, one-woman opera At the Statue of Venus. In this production, she collaborated with renowned director Rob Herriot, soprano and music director Monica Huisman, and pianist Megan Dufrat. Karen also designed and created all of the visual artworks for the production’s set, drawing on her background in fine arts to transform the stage into a gallery space.
On the operatic stage, she has performed an array of leading and featured roles, including Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore) with Manitoba Opera; Rosina (Le nozze di Figaro) and Belinda/Anna (Dido & Aeneas) with Manitoba Underground Opera; Rose (At the Statue of Venus); Isabelle/Madeline (The Face on the Barroom Floor) with Little Opera Company; Rodrigo (Rodrigo) and Angela (Angela and her Sisters) with University of Manitoba Opera Theatre; Papagena (Die Zauberflöte) and Lady Anna (Patience) with Opera NUOVA; Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) with Manhattan Opera Studio; and Micaëla (Carmen) with Festival de Ópera en Oaxaca.
In addition to her performance career, Karen is in high demand as a voice teacher, maintaining a thriving studio at JKW Music Studio. She holds a Master of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Manitoba, a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the Vancouver Academy of Music, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from the University of British Columbia.
Karen is currently a participant at the Vinceró Academy, where she is preparing the roles of Mimì (La Bohème) and Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) under the guidance of distinguished coaches such as Abdiel Vázquez, Irina Meachem, Stefano de Peppo, and Donald Wages. She is also an alumna of the Manhattan Opera Studio, Festival de Ópera en Oaxaca, and Opera NUOVA.
““One of the show’s most potent moments came during Santos’s deeply lyrical “Porgi, amor.” ”
